A New Year
It’s been a while since I’ve been blogging regularly but I still find myself pondering potential posts (say that 10 times fast). One of my resolutions for 2016 is to get back to blogging since having this record of my life and work since 2010 (!) is invaluable. When I talk to someone about something I covered on the blog I can easily reference it with a link or call up the post myself to fill in the details. When I want to reminisce or remember what I was doing at a certain point in time I have this digital record.
Being a diligent writer and recorder was certainly easier before I became a mother but I find that I miss it. Mostly, I miss the way that blogging helps me to digest my experiences to more deeply understand their impact. So, in 2016, I’m carving out the time and space to be the storyteller of my own life again. I hope you’ll continue to be along for the ride.
Happy New Year,
Mari
She’s the First Panel
I had an incredible conversation with other female social entrepreneurs about women’s economic empowerment. Thanks to She’s The First and Dermalogica’s FITE Foundation for sponsoring this great conversation that was streamed live on college campuses across the country.
Sharing My Grown Up Gigs
I am so grateful to Michelle Ward over at When I Grow Up for having me on her podcast, “Grown Up Gigs.” We talk about creative careers, juggling passion projects, serving in the Peace Corps, and my latest side project: Dear Daughter Love Me. Find the podcast here and while you’re there check out the other podcasts and interviews. I am really proud and honored to be included in this group of amazingly inspirational women!
Enjoy, Mari
Commercials Leading the Way
Wells Fargo
I recently saw the above commercial for Wells Fargo and after I wiped away a tear, I thought to myself, I wonder how many ads there are that feature gay couples. I looked it up and found that there are quite a few commercials out there representing brands and companies who weren’t afraid to be inclusive, even before the recent landmark Supreme Court decision extending marriage equality to gay and lesbian couples. Here’s some more proof that #lovewins.
Enjoy, Mari
Honey Maid
Tylenol
Chobani
Coca Cola
AllState
Amazon
A Few of My Favorite Free Web Apps
INSPIRATION:
Medium
I learned about Medium at the Hopscotch Design Fest last year from Elle Luna, who gave the keynote at the conference. It’s a great online magazine with a clean design and interesting topics contributed by writers both known and obscure.
Spoken
Described as “Instagram for audio” this brand new site has a lot of potential to catch on. I’ve listened to a few entries and it seems even more intimate than podcasting – like listening to meaningful voice mail messages from strangers. Each one is less than 4 minutes long and the topics are as diverse as the contributors.
CREATION:
Trello
I’ve used Trello for over a year now and I love it! From web development projects to marketing campaigns it is an excellent way to organize information, share the status of tasks, and collaborate with teams. There are paid versions available but the free one has worked well for me so far.
Morpholio Board
I’ve recently discovered this app for my iPad and iPhone. While Morpholio has many different productivity apps, the one I use is Morpholio Board that facilitates making inspiration and mood boards. I used it to make the boards for my last Favorite Things post below (and here). It allows you to clip images from the web and apps like Pinterest. It’s free with optional in-app purchases.
InVision
InVision is an amazing app that lets you prototype a website so easily and seamlessly I recently had a client who didn’t believe what I sent her was a mock-up. Sign up for free here.
Free Find: Painted Wooden Blocks
Paul and I found these delightfully painted wooden blocks during another trip to the recycling center. I’ve never seen these childhood staples with quite the same designs, which harken back to the 60s or 70s. My favorite block is the Town Hall and I also love the little trees. In the photos you’ll see a mix of the blocks that we found (skyscrapers, trains, trees, houses, tow truck) mixed with our Spanish wooden blocks and a few other goodies from our toy chest. Brook had fun knocking everything down once I had taken the photos!
Enjoy, Mari